Senegal Constitutional Council blocks opposition leader Sonko from presidential election - lawyer

Senegal's Constitutional Council on Friday rejected opposition leader Ousmane Sonko's application to run for president in elections next month, one of his lawyers, Cire Cledor Ly, said.

The ruling deals a final blow to Sonko's presidential aspirations, hampered by a flurry of court cases that have piled up against him since he was accused of rape in 2021, spurring violent protests across the country. Ly did not provide a reason for the council's decision.

The Feb. 25 election is a "joke because everything is opaque, it lacks transparency," he said via telephone.